Kenov III
"I liken Kenov III to a Daemonette pirouetting about before battle. Both are seductively graceful to the foolish and weak of will. Both wish nothing more than to slay the timid and ill–prepared. It is obvious to me Man has no place on on this world. He is just another invader to be fought, killed, and digested, food and fertiliser for mere plants." –From the journals of Inquisitor Felroth Gelt: 189.802.M41 By all accounts Kenov III is beautiful, a planet so fertile it would take its place as one of the greatest Agri-Worlds in the Sector---if only Man could tame it and bring it to heel. The desire to bring Kenov III under the domain of the Imperium is great indeed, as many understand the world’s value. There have been at least 12 expeditions to the planet’s surface---all of which have ended in disastrous retreat, for Kenov III is a world at war with itself. The verdant growth covering the planet’s surface, so indicative of a ripe Agri-World, is alive in ways not seen in most other systems. Native inhabitants of Kenov III combine aspects of both plant and beast, and have only one dread purpose---to grow as large and be as prolific as they can before being pulled down and devoured by another. Pieced together survey records and vox-reports show that the autochthons of Kenov III battle each other with airborne toxins, dripping digestive juices, excreted corrosive sap, and physical assaults, all in an effort to gain light, water, and nutrients. Parasites feed on the weak, while seedlings are quick to infect the wounded. Anything slain is not only broken down and digested, but serves as a host for a new crop of growths. Kenov III is home to a variety of lifeforms inimical to Man, some of which include: Pit-Blooms - These creatures appear as large flower-like structures that lie flat against the ground. When prey passes over the creature’s petals and fronds, they curl up and scoop the victim into the digestive pit located in the main body, which is buried underground. Thrash Briars - These thickets of thorny stems violently flail at anything within reach. XJ27R - Several expeditions reported seeing vast stilt-like creatures from great distances. These otherwise unknown beings appear to graze on all other life. XJ36N - Described only as immense living balloons that drift with the winds. Under the main body are hundreds of dangling tentacles, which snatch up prey. Ripper Whips - The dreaded “trees” of Kenov III, Ripper Whips are large semi-mobile entities with a profusion of thin tentacles and/or branches sprouting from a central trunk. Spines, hooks, and innumerable sucker-like mouths line these tentacles. A Ripper Whip will lash out at anything within the spread of its roots, tearing its victim into small gobbets to be transferred to the maw in the trunk. Small enough prey will be dragged bodily into the mouth to be devoured. Ripper Whips can move after a fashion, slowly making their way across the surface in search of new hunting grounds. Evidence shows Ripper Whips will cooperate to take down large prey. 'Ripper Whips' "Perhaps nothing demonstrates more the inherent wrongness of Kenov III than the Ripper Whip. Is there any greater affront to the natural order of things than a tree desiring to walk in the manner of Man? Heretical followers of the Dark Powers think so, for more than once have I uncovered pits in which Ripper Whips have been planted. Into these feeding-pits the cultists forced their sacrifices, chanting their treasonous prayers amid the screams of the dying. I felt a certain poetic justice in driving these rabble before us, forcing them into their own pit, so they could suffer the same fate as so many of their victims. Such music did their shrieks make! Afterwards, we brought down the cleansing gift of the Emperor’s fire, scouring the pit with flame, lasgun, and grenade, until all within had been reduced to ash." –From the journals of Inquisitor Felroth Gelt: 189.802.M41 Possibly the most infamous inhabitant of Kenov III, Ripper Whips are strange tree-like animals (or, perhaps, animal-like trees). Easily 7 meters in height, large specimens can reach upwards of 20 meters, although this is rare. They tend to cluster in small groves, and can be detected simply by the clearings around each trunk---clearings where just about anything living has been ripped from the ground and consumed. The trunk of a Ripper Whip hides a powerful maw, lined with thick thorn-like teeth, this circular opening is found near the crown, where the various feeding tentacles branch off. Covered in thorns, these tentacles are lined with small mouths surrounded by short hooks, and will start to devour anything caught in them as the Whip drags its prey back to the trunk. An ambush predator, Ripper Whips tend to remain quiescent until something strays within reach of their tentacles. Once this happens the Ripper Whip will explode into a flurry of activity, lashing out with its tentacles in order to securely immobilize prey. As Ripper Whips tend to cluster in small groves, an attempt to escape from one will often result in the victim blundering into range of another, and there are reports of Imperial subjects torn asunder in a gristly tug-of-war between two or more Ripper Whips. There is a certain fascination among cultists of Khorne and similar daemons with the Ripper Whip. Its ferocious and unrelenting form of attack, as well the sheer amount of blood spilled when it feed, bring about a sick lust for death and destruction among these heretics, and sacrifices are common during ceremonies honoring these dark gods. Category:Death Worlds Category:Planets Category:Malfian Sub-Sector Category:Calixis Sector